1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a functional composition having properties such as deodorizing properties and antimicrobial properties, which comprises a plant-originated functional component and a specified mineral component. Also, the present invention relates to a functional resin composition and a functional molding, each containing the functional composition.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
As filters to be incorporated into air conditioners or air cleaners, filters made of a polypropylene filament that is not only advantageous from the standpoint of production cost but also superior in characteristics such as moldability, mechanical strength, waterproof properties, and chemical resistance, are widely used. It is also known that polypropylene for this filter is incorporated with a synthetic bactericide or carried with a catechin as a tea-extraction component, through external attachment or internal addition.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 99656/1989 mentions an antibacterial electret filter comprising polypropylene fibers having 0.1% or more of a bactericide incorporated therein. However, the bactericide that is used in the working examples of this patent publication is a thiabendazole as a synthetic bactericide.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 148407/1995 describes an antiviral filter comprising a filter impregnated with, or a filter material incorporated with, a virus-inactivating agent comprising, as an active ingredient, a tea-extraction component. The tea-extraction component as referred to herein means a tea polyphenol such as a catechin. In the working examples of this patent publication, there are given (A) an example in which the tea-extraction component is dissolved in water to prepare an aqueous solution, which is then impregnated in and attached to an electret filter; and (B) an example in which polypropylene is mixed with the tea-extraction component, and the mixture is molten to form a film, which is then cut and fabricated into a non-woven fabric.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 266828/1996 describes an antiviral filter comprising a dust-collecting filter and a filter impregnated with a tea-extraction component. The tea-extraction component as referred to herein means a tea polyphenol such as a catechin. Further, the filter having a tea-extraction component attached thereto as referred to herein means an electret filter, an HEPA filter, a high-performance filter, a middle-performance filter, a bag filter, etc.
In the case where the tea-extraction component is dissolved in water to prepare an aqueous solution, which is then externally impregnated and carried in a filter, namely, in the method of attaching and carrying by impregnation, the tea-extraction component is compatible with water, and hence, its fixing properties and waterproof properties are not sufficient. Therefore, when this filter is used on being brought into contact with water, or is used while being often washed with water, it involves such a defect that the tea-extraction component as an attaching component is readily lost.
In the method in which the tea-extraction component such as a catechin is internally added to (i.e., incorporated into) polypropylene as a filter material and then melt formed, since the tea-extraction component such as a catechin, which is originally soluble in water, is incompatible with polypropylene as a non-polar resin, it likely bleeds out onto the filament surface to generate stains. Further, when the filament is dipped in water or washed with water, a major part of the extraction component elutes out, whereby the effect is drastically reduced. Even when the internal addition amount is increased in consideration of the bleeding-out, the elution amount is still high during the contact with water. Accordingly, it is inevitable that not only the production cost is high, but also the spinning properties, drawing properties and strength are reduced. In addition, in this internal addition method, during the melt forming, a considerable amount of an effective part of the tea-extraction component is volatilized out, and hence, it is inevitable that the relatively expensive active ingredient is lost.
We, the present inventors found as follows. That is, when a specified ceramics component is co-existent during internal addition of a functional component such as a catechin and a saponin to a resin component, followed by forming, a mutual action is generated between the functional component and the ceramics component. As a result, the forming is carried out smoothly, the bleeding of the functional component onto the molding surface is inhibited and, even when the resulting molding is used on being brought into contact with water, the elution of the functional component is effectively inhibited. Then, we have filed separately an application for patent. Further, we found that when this technology is applied to an external component of a composite molding such as a composite filament, much more preferred results are obtained. Then, we have also filed an application for patent regarding this technology.
However, even according to the above-described technologies made by the present inventors, in the preparation step of mixed particles of the functional component and the ceramics component (especially, in the preparation step of composite particles of the both components) or in the resin phase during formulating the mixed particles into the resin, followed by forming, the particles caused secondary flocculation so that the particle size increased, and the internal addition of the mixed particles adversely affected the moldability, the post-processing properties (drawing properties, etc.), and the physical properties of the molding, whereby the desired function and effect were not sufficiently be obtained. If such a problem could be overcome, a molding having superior functionalities should be obtained. Further, when its solution means is utilized, it can be expected that these mixed particles are applicable to other uses than that for the molding.